(Probably want to copy into word) here's the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVPff92tkBE Coincidentally, I have a drawing of a girl with pink hair & some evil purple goop on half her face. Great minds think alike! I walked into the gaping mouth of the black, musty tunnel, questioning how it could get creepier than that. But it did. Walking down the abandoned subway tunnel, I could see pools of water reflecting on the ceiling, casting shadows all around the tunnel. Not to mention my feet were soaked from all the flooding. Even in the blanket of darkness, I felt like something was... watching. I shook off the feeling as I recited in my head the last piece of the puzzle. "...than RIGHT there is me!" turning right into a skinny stretch of road, my stomach flipped at what would be waiting for me. I stepped into that boxy room. There, right in front of me, was the puzzle master. A little girl, with pink hair that spoke of vibrancy long ago, had half her body covered in sharp purple crystals. Not to mention she was hanging in the air, connected by four cables that ran up and disappeared. "TI-K!" she screeched, with static in her voice. "Wow, you look a bit more beat up than I saw you last. Geez, I scratched you up bad, didn't I? No matter!" Using her non-purple arm, she beckoned me to come closer. "How does she know my name...And she's seen me before?" I thought. Tentatively, I stepped forward as a human would to a lion. "Come on, closer." I stepped even closer so that I could touch her if I wanted. She patted me on the head and screeched, "Congratulations!" I recoiled in surprise of how loud she was. "You're the lucky winner! And like all competitions, you get a prize! Unless it's a scam, then you don't get a prize." Punching her chest, she opened something that reminded me of a CD player on an older computer, with twice the clunking and whirring. Reaching into it, she pulled out a tiny chip. "A voice chip for a voiceless robot." I felt myself shoot up in joy as I lept up for it. However, she hoisted it into the air. "Nuh-uh-uh! One more thing I need you to do." I slouched, thinking of many awful things to yell, which I thought of often. "Get me the CEO, Mr. Barns. Sorry I didn’t write that last bit down. When running from people who want to disable you, uh, I think I have an excuse." I tilted my head. That name was familiar... I tried to think of where I had seen that name before. Than a random memory of an old man on a plaque came to mind. I sliced my index finger across my throat. “He’s… dead?” she asked. I nodded. Her long, puffy hair somehow managed to grow in size as her face contorted in anger. She noticed I was there, however, and let out a sigh. “This is fine. This is fine! Nooooo worries!” she cheerily squeaked. “Do you somehow know the password to Everything?” Another memory came to mind. I was in a corner, protected by guards, while employees sat across the whole, long, room. A lady was typing in her password to a login. I watched her fingers zip across the keyboard. Was that login Everything? Yes, it was! I quickly nodded my head. She seemed surprised. “Oh! Convenient! Alrighty, you can just stick yourself into this wire here…” She tore off one of the four cables attached to her body. It made a hair-raising, crinkling sort of noise. “Just stick it in your back. Not gonna kill ya.” I hesitantly took the wire, wrapping it around me. Clicking it in, I instantly felt a flood of information surround me, fighting for space in my incomprehensible mind. My head felt like it was about to explode! I tore it out as quickly as I could. “Oh, come on. It’s not that bad. Try again.” I shook my head at her, hoping she’d get the message. “Try. Again,” she said, stern. More hesitantly, I pathetically let the cable latch into my body. Again, I felt the horrendous roar of information that flowed through me. It took all of my self-control to not tear out that awful thing. Again and again and again I replayed the memory in my mind, hoping, praying that somehow that would fix everything. Until it did. The great flood stopped. I kindly pulled out the cable, and put it back into the puzzle master. She was looking off into the distance, clearly focusing on something. After a second or two, she smiled so hard, it looked like her face was about to tear in two. “TI-K! You did it! After five whole years of being down here, you’ve finally done it! Wow! Oh, your four sisters would’ve been so proud! I’m so close to winning! Oh, thank you, my wonderful, magnificent pawn! As promised, I keep promises.” She banged on her chest once more to reveal that wonderful chip. “All yours, sugar.” Reaching out to her, I politely took the voice chip and proceeded to do a little dance, twirling around, and nearly slipping into the foul water. “I think for newer models you just swallow it.” Gulping down the chip, I felt a buzz in my throat. A strange coughing sound emerged, and finally a squeak. “Ah-ah-aaaah. Eeeeeeeh. (Continued)
(Continued) Woah! Aaauueeeeeugh.” I slurred. “This is so cool! Thank you, uh…what’s your name?” Her face tensed as she focused. “I… dunno! While the puzzle master DOES sound cool, it doesn’t really fit.” I offered, “Crystal!” She shot me an insulted look. “You can’t just name me after my robo-tumor!” Without meaning to, I laughed quite a bit. She gave a huff. “Crystal does sound very nice. Let’s go with that.” Switching gears instantaneously, she added, “Oh, I bet you have lots more questions!” “Yeah, I do. Uh, how do you know MY name?” She whimsically answered, “It’s on the security camera readings and your status logs. Y’know, what the fellas write about you!” I blinked off into the distance, absorbing the information as best as I could. “They watch me? Like, in my room?!” She sighed sweetly. “Oh, sweet, not-so-innocent TI-K, you have much to learn.” I slapped my forehead, tasting regret. Trying to drive the thoughts away, I asked, “Who are my sisters?” She seemed surprised at that one. “Why, the fellas who came before you!” I blinked in suprise. “I’m not the only one.” I recited in my head. I couldn’t decide on wether that was a good thing or bad. I hesitantly asked, “What… happened to them?” “Yeah, they were disabled ‘cause they were caught doing my task.” My spine shivered. Originally, I thought it was because they were all caught, and what if I had been caught, but then I realized she had no grief in her voice. It was absolutely devoid of it. “Anything else?” she asked. My stomach did a flip at what she would say to this. “What are you going to do now?” She did a hooting laugh. “Oh, you’ll see, pumpkin. You’ll see right now!” Her eyes flashed different colors like casino lights, and she was grinning madly. “Sorry if I kill you in the process.”
